


Wintermint

by SimplySix



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Drama, F/M, Fluff, Re-vamp, Romance, SHINING TURD, SQUIFFE, Yuffentine, blast from the past, old stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-18
Updated: 2014-07-18
Packaged: 2018-02-09 10:52:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1980147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SimplySix/pseuds/SimplySix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Great Ninja Yuffie faces one of her worst threats ever - the flu. </p><p>After an all night war with Aeris and Cloud shoving medicine down her throat, Yuffie sulks in her room and dwells on a certain gunman from her past. Leave it to her trusty sparring partner, Squall, to check up on things. </p><p>In the end, perhaps the best thing to battle the flu isn't so much the right medicine, but the right mindset of heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In My Memory of You

**Author's Note:**

> This is really, really, really, really old. I mean, REALLY old. 
> 
> I went through my folders the other day and found this shining turd of a story. I don't even remember WHY I wrote it. I have a raging passion for Yuffentines, so that must be the reason. Still, not quite sure why or exactly when this story came about.
> 
> My style has gotten much cleaner and to the point. 
> 
> Editing this story was painful. ^^;;
> 
> Enjoy.  
> Six

**Wintermint**

 

_"I wish you wouldn't go, Vince. . .I'll miss you, you know."_

_"Someone has to go, Yuffie. It is only logical I go since I have a better chance at surviving. The darkness is what makes me."_

_"Still. . ."_

_"I'll come back, Yuffie. I promise you'll see me again."_

_"Yeah, I hear that a lot. My mother promised me that, too. My father after her. . .and I have yet to see either of them again."_

_"You don't believe me?"_

_"Well. . .no, no I don't believe you. . ."_

_"Then here. Take this."_

_"Vince, this is. . ."_

_"Cerberus is the one thing that has remained constant in my life. This symbol was crafted by my older sister when I was very young. She gave it to me when I successfully fired every round in my gun and never missed a target. It has meant the world to me because she gave it to me. Now, I give it to you. It's my promise, Yuffie. I will come back."_

_"Vincent, I can't. . .I can't take this from you!"_

_"You aren't. I am giving it to you. There is a difference."_

_"I, I don't know what to say."_

_"Thank you would work."_

_"Th. . .thank you, Vincent. No one's. . .ever given me something so special before. . .at least not willingly."_

_"I hope it is enough to convince you."_

_"The trade is fair. . .but. . .why can't I come with you? I would be better off helping you. . .Aeris and Cloud and the others can care for themselves!"_

_"I can't let you do that, Yuffie."_

_"Why?"_

_"You know why."_

_"It's not fair."_

_"Yuffie, believe me when I say I do not want to see you go. I don't want you to worry and constantly be afraid, but you would be in more danger here. I cannot guarantee your safety and I could not bear it if you were hurt."_

_"Vincent, I don't want to leave you."_

_"Yuffie. . ."_

**_. . .his lips were cool and soft against mine. . .I remember that. . ._ **

_"Vince. . ."_

_"I will always be with you. . ._

**_"I promise."_ **

_\-------------------------------------_


	2. In the Present I Have You

The wind blew at the windows of the cold, dark castle as the lights dimmed in the stone structure. A whistle ran through the long, dark corridors as a warm light came from a crack in a large wooden door.

From inside the room, a small, curled figure sat in the window seat with its head on the window sill. Cold rain hit the window panes. The figure was covered in a large, colored quilt. It coughed a little causing the blanket to fall from its shoulders.

A pale hand pulled the blanket back to its original place as the firelight from the hearth glinted off of a flash of silver in the figure's fingers.

"Damn cold." the figure whispered hoarsely.

Yuffie Kisaragi's black bangs fell into her violet gray eyes when she brought her hand to her mouth and coughed. Her body trembled as the blanket shifted from her shoulders again. The black, long sleeved shirt beneath was sliding off of her left shoulder. The ninja gave up on the blanket and leaned her head forward to put it on the coolness of the glass. She closed her eyes and listened to the rain.

"I wish you were here, Vince. . ." she breathed. ". . .I wish you were here. . ."

"It was that kind of behavior that got you where you are now."

Yuffie narrowly opened her eyes and watched her breath cloud up the glass. She heard the calm, stoic voice behind her. She painfully blinked and turned around when a hand gently pulled her away from the window.

Her hazy, violet eyes met a pair of piercing blue green ones as Squall Leonhart's russet brown bangs fell over his face. The rough, jagged scar that ran across the bridge of his nose wrinkled. He lifted an eyebrow and put his palm against the ninja's forehead.

"You still have a fever. You should be in bed." he said with a frown. 

Yuffie closed her eyes and moaned as her head fell forward.

Squall quickly caught the ninja and winced. Her entire body shook from a series of coughs. He slowly scooped his arm underneath Yuffie's knees and gently lifted her from the window sill. As he repositioned her in his arms, Yuffie's head bobbed forward against his shoulder and an arm fell out of her blanket.

"Mmm. . .phr. . ."

Yuffie mumbled incoherently while Squall moved across the room with her in his arms. When he made to set her in her bed, Yuffie started coughing and something silver hit the carpet with a thud.

Squall quickly held the coughing ninja upright. He sat her down in her bed and propped her pillows up against her back. He wrapped her blanket tighter around her.

Yuffie miserably groaned and slumped over. Squall held her steady and knelt down to pick up whatever it was she had dropped.

As Yuffie wheezed, Squall carefully picked up the worn, silver pendant from the floor where Yuffie had dropped it. His eyes looked at the interesting Cerberus design as he held the object in his hand.

Its craftsmanship was exquisite and it had looked like it had been taken care of very well. As he looked at it, Squall had a hunch it had belonged to the gunman that Yuffie often mumbled about in her sleep when they were on missions together. He had never seen her hold it before tonight, but this was the first time that he had ever seen the ninja ill as well.

Squall wrapped his fingers around the silver pendant and gently pushed Yuffie upright. The Gunblade wielder eased the ninja back against her pillows and drew the covers up around her as she coughed.

"You aren't going to get any better if you don't try, Yuffie." he said softly.

He gently brushed the ninja's bangs out of her eyes and felt her forehead.

The Gunblade wielder tried not to tense when Yuffie leaned into his touch and mewed miserably.

_It's just her fever, Leonhart. She is just very ill. Do **not** do something you will regret later._

"It's hot." Yuffie wheezed as Squall slowly drew his hand away from her forehead. "The window is cold."

"But you need to stay warm until the fever breaks, Yuffie." Squall admonished. 

He shook his head.

"Did you take your medicine?"

Yuffie made a disgusted face and stuck out her tongue.

"Yes. Aeris and Cloud came in here and forced it down my throat. Then, Aeris tried to smooth things over by giving me ice cream. . ."

Squall smiled a little.

"Chocolate, at least?"

Yuffie gave a weak smile in return. She looked up at the Gunblade wielder with a fever blush prominent in her cheeks.

"Yeah."

Squall looked at Yuffie, startled, when the ninja suddenly felt around her lap and then frantically started searching the bed around her.

"Yuffie, what's wrong?"

Yuffie looked up at Squall painfully before returning to her search in the blankets surrounding her legs.

"Something. . .something special. A silver. . .pendant thing." the ninja said as her fingers moved. "I don't have it. . .I had it in my hand."

"Is this it?"

Yuffie looked up as Squall revealed the Cerberus relief he had in his hand. She felt a blush deeper than a fever run through her cheeks. She reached up and tried not to snatch the item out of Squall's hand.

Squall watched silently as the ninja quickly hid the relief in her hands and brought it to her chest

Yuffie looked down.

He shook his head when she coughed and held the item tighter.

"It fell out of your hand when I picked you up."

There was an uneasy silence while Yuffie's eyes narrowed and tears slowly started sliding down her cheeks.

Squall shifted his weight, sighed a little and knelt down.

"Yuffie. . ."

"It belonged to someone from our old world." Yuffie whispered keeping her eyes firmly on her lap. "It's the only thing I have left of him, and I promised to take care of it for him. It's the only promise I have ever made and stuck to, even when he can never make good on _his_ promise to me. It meant a lot to him, and it's all I have left. It's all. . ."       

Squall slowly leaned forward and reached out when Yuffie started crying harder. He gently pushed her back when she started coughing, but the ninja quickly shook her head and hunched over her raised knees again.

Cerberus glinted in the firelight as her fingers clutched at it mercilessly. The Gunblade wielder slowly eased himself down beside Yuffie as she sniffled and hung her head.

"Vincent was my partner and my friend. He died to get us out. He used the demons that he hated in himself to open a portal through the darkness so that we could survive.

“He gave everything and the only thing I can remember, now, is how all of those Heartless attached to his body. When I sleep at night I can still hear him screaming. I can't get it out of my head. I have to cry myself to sleep."

Squall winced.

Yuffie looked up at him with teary, violet eyes.

"I couldn't help him. He died because I couldn't help him!"

Squall silently drew the ninja in his arms without really thinking about it. She started sobbing and shaking beside him. His eyes narrowed as Yuffie buried her face in his chest and cried.        

He couldn't blame her for crying. He knew what it was like to lie awake at night and think about all of the things that had been lost. He knew how bad it hurt to lose someone that meant so much. The nightmares of his own past still haunted him when he closed his eyes.

Unlike Yuffie, he had no ability to cry for the one he had left behind. He couldn't bring himself to believe that the one he loved was lost to him, yet. Perhaps that is why he felt he needed to reassure Yuffie that there was a reason to hope. Maybe he felt that the ninja acted stronger than she really was.

Hell, maybe he simply couldn't stand to see her in pain.

"Yuffie, it's all right. I am sure Vincent didn't blame _you_ for what couldn't be helped." Squall said softly. "By the way you make it sound, Yuf, you cared a lot about him. I am sure he cared a lot about you. When people care a lot about each other they feel the need to protect one another with everything they have. Vincent only did what he had to, to save your life."

"I miss him so much, Squall." Yuffie whispered, shaking her head against Squall's chest. "I miss him!"

Squall closed his eyes and held Yuffie tighter as she started crying again.

For the first time in many years his heart was beginning to hurt. His blue green eyes searched the floor while Yuffie's tears soaked through his shirt.     

_I haven't felt like this. . .since. . .Rinoa._

"The Heartless take those with weak hearts, Yuffie." Squall said keeping his gaze on the floor. "From what I have heard you talk about in your sleep, your Vincent doesn't have a weak heart at all."     

Yuffie looked up, embarrassed.

Squall shifted his gaze to meet hers. He shook his head and lifted his hand to brush Yuffie's bangs out of her eyes. Her skin was still hot beneath his fingers as he let the ninja lean into his palm.

"You have to have more faith in him, Yuffie." the Gunblade wielder breathed. "You have to _believe_ in a strength that goes beyond the physical body. I know it's hard. Believe me, I know.

“But," he said sliding his fingers underneath Yuffie's chin and lifting her head so that her eyes met his, "I also know that I wouldn't give up hope in Rinoa for anything. I may be the hardest bastard this side of Radiant Garden, but my faith in _her_ is the one thing I will _never_ give up.

“So, even though it hurts, even though it feels like your heart is breaking, you have to stay strong. Keeping the promise is good, but believing in it. . ."

Yuffie looked down at Cerberus in her hand as Squall gently uncurled her fingers. He held her hand in his palm. The silver, three headed dog looked up with its beady eyes as the fleur-de- lis slowly swung on the silver chain hanging over the side of Yuffie's hand.

Squall looked at her when her tears splashed against the steel of the relief. He gently held her hand and waited until she met his gaze again. He smiled very faintly.

". . .but believing in it is even better." he breathed. "Believe in his strong heart and keep your faith steadfast. I promise, Yuffie, you will have helped him in more ways than you can imagine."

Yuffie's eyes widened, surprised. She looked at Squall with tears brimming under her eyelids. She stared at the normally stoic Gunblade wielder until a smile spread across her lips and she started laughing.

"Thank you, Squall."

Squall wrapped his arms around the ninja and put his cheek on top of her head when she hugged him. The silver, roaring lion's head dangling from a silver chain around his neck shimmered in the light.

Yuffie coughed loudly and groaned.

Squall slowly leaned Yuffie back and shook his head.

"You should get some sleep, Yuffie. You're no good to me ill."

Yuffie smiled as the Gunblade wielder's hand slowly slid across her forehead again.

"I'm not used to feeling so sick." she said softly. "I never got sick when I lived on Gaia."

"Hmm. The weather here is cold and windy." Squall mused softly. "Not to mention, the rain makes the weather that much worse."

Yuffie groaned and leaned against Squall as her coughing subsided. Her eyes were narrow and her lips were parted slightly while she breathed in and out. Her breaths were scratchy and raspy in her lungs.

Squall gently rubbed her back.

Yuffie looked up at him with a small shake of her head. She adjusted her fingers around Cerberus.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked suddenly.

Squall was startled by the question and looked at Yuffie with bright, blue green eyes. He looked into the ninja's flushed face for a moment as she patiently waited for an answer. He looked away for a moment before shaking his head.

"Am I that mean to you, Yuffie?" he asked softly.

Yuffie frowned a little before shrugging and shaking her head.

"Well, no, but you are never this nice to me. It's appreciated, but not understood."

Squall smiled a little.

"You are my friend, Yuffie. You are not feeling well and that worries me. Like you said, you rarely get sick and you are extremely ill right now." he answered. "I know you would _try_ to care for me if I wasn't well, so I am protecting that."

Yuffie smiled and shook her head with a small laugh.

"I couldn't take care of you, Squall. I'm not strong enough."

"You're plenty strong enough, Yuf. Vincent wouldn't have loved you so much if you weren't."

Yuffie was startled. She looked up at her partner. She watched the scar running between Squall's eyes crease as his eyes narrowed. He looked at her earnestly.

She let her eyes travel to the silver lion hanging from Squall's neck before turning her gaze to the Cerberus relief in her hands. As she pulled her fingers away from the silver, three headed dog, she smiled.

Tears slowly fell to the steel surface in her palm as she closed her eyes.

It was all making sense now.


	3. In My Memory We Had Each Other

_"Yuffie, you are going to get hurt."_

_"No, I won't! I have done this lots of times."_

_"Yuffie. . ."_

**_I fell off the rock that I was messing around on. I remember that a bird or something came out of the canopy and startled me. I missed my footing and fell over the edge. I was falling._ **

_"Eeeeek!! What the. . .!?"_

_"Yuffie!"_

**_He ran forward to catch me and ended up hurting himself in the process._ **

_"Vincent! What are. . ."_

_"Are you all right, Yuffie?"_

_"Yes, I'm fine! But. . .why. . ."_

_"I told you if you kept it up you'd get hurt."_

_"Vincent! You're limping!"_

_". . ."_

_"Vincent, why did you do that? It would have hurt but I'd have been okay! I mean, I was the idiot that didn't listen! Why did you try to break my fall!?"_

_"I was sent with you to make sure you didn't get hurt. I couldn't very well let you fall now could I?"_

_"Vince. . ."_

**_I felt terrible. I didn't know why he had done it. I knew that Cloud had sent Vincent along with me to the Wutai forests because he was worried I'd do something crazy while I was on the mission; but I knew that he wouldn't have told Vincent to keep me from hurting myself._ **

_"Yuffie, what are you doing?"_

_"Well, it's **obvious** you can't walk on that leg without making it worse so I am going to help you."_

_"I am much heavier than you, Yuffie, and much taller. I would only end up hurting you. I'll be fine."_

_"Like hell."_

_"What are you going to do? Carry me?"_

_"Close enough to it at the very least."_

**_And I did._ **

**_I made a make shift splint to keep the leg from getting any worse and I walked alongside, supporting the weight of his body. It took us a lot longer to find our way back to the palace. I was in about as bad of shape as Vince._ **

**_We got back in one piece and Tifa helped get Vincent's injury all healed up. God, that was the worst backache I have ever had; but I wouldn't let anyone use a Cure materia on me. I felt bad for what I had done to Vincent._ **

_"I will never jack around with a babysitter that has a healthy conscience."_

**_He came looking for me after he had been healed and I never showed up for dinner. I went to my room at 4pm when we had returned. I didn't say anything else to anyone. He actually knocked on my screen. He scared the shit out of me._ **

_"What the. . .Vincent?! What in the hell are you doing here?"_

_"You didn't show up for dinner. I figured you weren't feeling well. I told you I would be too heavy for you to carry."_

_"I have no idea what you're talking about, you old vampire. Yes, I am tired, and my back kinda hurts, but I am punishing myself."_

_"Punishing yourself? What for, Yuffie?"_

**_I got red. I would have made the Moogles downstairs jealous._ **

_"You told me to stop messing around because I was going to get hurt and I didn't listen. I blatantly put myself in danger and **you** being the gentleman that you are, you broke my fall and got hurt instead. I feel bad. That's what for."_

_"Yuffie, you don't have to punish yourself. It's nothing you could have changed."_

_"Yes, I could have! I could have listened and stopped messing around!"_

_"No, I meant that you couldn't have changed me saving you from danger."_

_"What?"_

**_He eased himself into my room and forced me back with his presence and his eyes. I couldn't have stopped him even if I'd have wanted to; and I didn't want to._ **

_"Even if you **had** listened to me and you hadn't fallen off of that rock, there would have been other times, other dangers. Even if I hadn't saved you from this one and gotten hurt, there would be another rescue and another injury. _

_“What I am saying, Yuffie, is that I simply cannot **let** you be hurt when I am able to stop it. It isn't anything you can change in me, Yuffie. It's something I **have** to do. It's something I **want** to do. Do you understand?"_

**_I stared at him like I had just been hit with a Stopga. I just stood there with my jaw hanging open and my eyes wide. In all the time I had ever known the gunslinger, he had never said more than a string of words to me._ **

**_I had just heard an entire speech._ **

**_It floored me._ **

_"Yuffie, do you?"_

_"Do I . . . oh, OH! Yes, yeah, I think I understand, Vince."_

_"Good. Then you'll respect that from now on."_

_"Yes."_

_"Do you promise?"_

**_It was the look in his crimson eyes as they bored into mine. He was deathly serious. While he stared at me shivers ran down my spine._ **

_"Vincent, you're starting to freak me out."_

_"I just want your promise, Yuffie. You don't have to give it to me right now if you don't want to. But, in return, I'll make a promise of my own to you when the time presents itself."_

_"You're being nice to me. . .why?"_

_"Am I mean to you, Yuffie?"_

_"Well, I mean. . .well. . .what. . .I mean. Well, NO, but. . ."_

**_He smiled at me, then. It was a beautiful smile and I can still see it today. His lips made a graceful arc and his eyes were a warm, Wutai red as he stepped closer to me._ **

_"I may be quiet and I may even stand aloof from you and the others, but never forget I am only here because I enjoy your company the most. It's the only reason I agree to go on our missions. It is the only reason I cannot let you put yourself in danger. My loyalty is because I'm fond of you, Yuffie Kisaragi. I will always come back to you."_

_"I'd say you are starting to sound like a dog, but then I think I'd offend you."_

**_Laughter. Pure, rich, and sweet._ **

**_His voice was deep and wonderful when he let go of it. When his guard dropped he was the most beautiful person in the world._ **

_"You don't offend me, Yuffie. You never have."_

_"Okay, so I lied. I don't understand. I mean, I understand you don't want me to be hurt and I guess that makes sense. I'm no good to you hurt; but, you sound like you genuinely care about me. I don't understand why! You've never shown any interest in me before."_

**_He towered over me. . .more than usual. He wanted me to feel his presence._ **

_"Yuffie, I have **always** shown interest in you. You've just never noticed before."_

_"Well, maybe you could have made it more obvious. . ."_

_"I knew you'd figure it out in your own time.”_

_"Die hard teamwork until the end, huh, Vince?"_

_"Yes."_

**_I was quiet when he stood in front of me. I don't remember saying or thinking anything when I went for his hand. I just reached out and grabbed the hand that so skillfully wielded the gun that had saved my life on multiple occasions._ **

**_I didn't even think about making him feel uncomfortable or making him pull away. I didn't think anything._ **

**_I just took what I had always wanted._ **

_"Your hand is a lot bigger than mine, you know."_

_"It comes with being too tall."_

_"I don't think you're too tall. I am just too short."_

_"Ninjas aren't built to be tall. You work well just the way you are, Yuffie."_

**_I liked the feel of my fingers intertwined with his. Everything fit into place and nothing was left out. My hand was completely encompassed and I felt protected._ **

**_He didn't flinch. He didn't even move. He just watched me with those damn eyes._ **

_"I like you, too. Just like this. You're my gunslinger, Vince."_

_"You've always been my only ninja."_

**_I remember holding his hand tighter as the first butterflies ran through my stomach. It was at that moment I truly realized the magnitude of what was happening. I didn't need to say it out loud because I knew Vincent was aware of it, too._ **

_"I promise, Vincent."_

_"Do you mean it?"_

_"Yes. I must mean a lot to you if you are going to risk yourself for me whenever I get into trouble. I can't **not** give it to you."_

_"Don't make the promise unless you mean it, Yuffie. Because when I make mine to you, it will be genuine."_

**_To this day I don't think that anyone knows the magnitude of my feelings when I looked at Vincent that day. I don't even think I fully know._ **

_"I promise you, Vincent Valentine, that I understand and you have every right to do what you have to, to feel like you've done all you can for my safety."_

**_That is when his fingers finally acknowledged mine. It's when they finally relaxed in my palm and our pact began._ **

**_I should have known better._ **

_"Thank you, Yuffie."_

_"Hmm. I just hope you know what you're doing, Vince. Protecting me is a full time job and I don't know if you can handle it."_

_"I've done well so far, haven't I?"_

_"This is true, but isn't this arrangement a little one sided? You are exerting all of this energy into defending me and we haven't discussed what I can do for **you**. I don't think it's fair."_

_"As long as you're near and keep your promise then you need to do nothing else for me, Yuffie. That is all I need from you."_

_"Well, then, what about **your** promise to **me** , then?"_

**_He brought me closer to him as he let go of my hand. He brought his fingers to the side of my face. He brushed the hair out of my eyes and smiled._ **

_"I told you, when the moment presents itself I will make my promise to you."_

_"And it will be truthful, right?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Vincent?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"Does this mean I'm yours?"_

**_I don't even remember why I asked the damn question. As soon as it had left my mouth I blushed redder than a beet and I pulled my fingers to my lips._ **

**_My eyes followed Vincent as he looked down at me with his long, black hair falling over his crimson mantle. His eyes searched mine silently for all of about a minute before he nodded slightly._ **

_"Yes, if you want to be."_

_"I do."_

_"Then, yes. You're mine."_

_"Then, does that mean. . .can I. . .call you. . ."_

**_I never knew how warm Vincent was until he had pulled me against his body that night._ **

**_He smelled of gunpowder and earth. His hair was soft against my cheeks as he looked down at me. He must have sensed that I was nervous. He always smiled faintly when I was nervous._ **

**_His lips were a combination of liquid amber and amethyst sunrise._ **

**_Nothing could have prepared me for his kiss. Nothing could have prepared me for the amount of warmth and dedication in it. I had never been kissed by anyone other than my mother. When Vincent kissed me I felt complete._ **

**_He had never looked down on me like the others did. He never treated me like a child. He may have seen me as rambunctious and clumsy, but I was never a child._ **

**_His kiss proved that to me. When it had ended, I knew that I could never kiss anyone else._ **

_"I've always been yours, Yuffie. I needed you to realize that."_

_"You're crazy, you know that, Vince?”_

_"No crazier than you, Yuffie."_

_"Yeah, yeah. . .ouch. . ."_

_"Are you all right?"_

_"Well, carryin' your butt home **was** difficult. I'm just sore, that's all. My back isn't an anvil."_

_"Come on."_

_"Come on, what, Vince? All I'm going to do is whine and cry because it hurts. I have been doing that fine by myself."_

_"Trust me. Just come here and I will help you. Do honestly not want me to help?"_

_"Is that a trick question?"_

_"Yuffie. . ."_

_"All right, all right."_

**_I slept on futons back then. I didn't like beds. They were too high up for me._ **

**_God, I've changed so much. Now that I'm thinking about it, I really miss my futons. . ._ **

_"What are you going to do?"_

_"Help you get to sleep."_

_"How? I mean, save for drugging me or knocking me out I don't think that's going to happen. I gotta let it run its course."_

_"Do you trust me?"_

_"Yes, Vincent. I trust you."_

_"Then be patient."_

**_I remember that Vincent removed his cloak and Cerberus from his person. He removed all of his armor and Cerberus' holster and even removed the gauntlet from his left arm._ **

**_It surprised me because I had never seen Vincent without his armor and traditional, red mantle. I didn't think that the gauntlet could come off of his arm. _ **

**_When I saw the golden digits slide off to reveal a complete arm and hand, I must have looked as surprised as I felt. When Vince set it aside he looked at me with a small smile._ **

_"Surprised, Yuffie?"_

_"I am now."_

_"A token of gratitude for what you did for me today. I don't think you will try to attack me when my defenses are down?"_

_"Don't be so sure. I **am** a ninja after all."_

**_When his skin first touched mine I realized that Vincent's dedication was stronger than I could ever imagine. Though I didn't fully grasp why, I knew that he was serious when he said that he didn't want me in danger._ **

**_His hands were smooth even though I knew that the body beneath what remained was not. I knew that Vincent was ashamed of what he was. I was never ashamed of him._ **

**_When he held me, I knew what I had always known. I knew it would be forever._ **

_"Thank you, Vincent."_

_"You're welcome, Yuffie."_

_"Are we going to get the chance to be a full-fledged couple?"_

_"Chance is what it is, Yuffie. That is why they call it that."_

_"Come on, Vince. I hate it when you get all philosophical on me. I thought you were trying to make me feel better!"_

_"There is **always** a chance in everything, Yuffie. Always."_

_"See, that's better."_

_"Go to sleep, Yuffie."_

_"Make me."_

_"I intend to."_

_"Fine."_

_". . ."_

_"Hey, Vincent?"_

_"Hmm?"_

**_He liked running his fingers through my hair. He liked it even better when we had moments where he could hold me and I could put my head on his chest. He never told me that, but I could tell he liked it._ **

_"Do you sleep?"_

_"I'm still human, Yuffie. Yes. I sleep."_

_"Do you dream?"_

_"Sometimes."_

_"What do you dream of?"_

_"Nothing important anymore."_

_"I dream all the time. Sometimes of my mother, sometimes of dumping a barrel of sake on Godo. . .and sometimes. . .I dream of you. . .and my friends."_

**_Damn him. I did get sleepy. I would always get sleepy when he held me and ran his fingers through my hair and down my back._ **

_"Hmm."_

_"Vincent?"_

_"Yes, Yuffie?"_

_"Will you dream of me tonight?"_

**_He was silent as his fingers stopped for a moment. He slowly began again as he leaned forward and kissed the top of my head._ **

_"Yes."_

_"I wonder if I'm dreaming this right now. . .because I have only felt like this in my dreams of you."_

_"You aren't dreaming yet, Yuffie. This is still what is real. This will always **be** real. Remember that."_

_"Hmm, hmm."_

_"Yuffie."_

_"Yes, Vince?"_

_"Stay strong for me."_

_"Hmm. . .?"_

_"Keep your heart strong. It isn't easy to love me and I do not easily love back. But, even when you think I am being cruel, please, Yuffie, remember. . .it's only because of you I do what I have to. Remember your promise and stay strong."_

**_I. . .I barely heard him. . .and, oh, God. . ._ **

_"Yuffie?"_

**_. . .oh, God, I know what he meant. . ._ **

"Yuffie?"

**_. . .Vincent. . ._ **


	4. In the Present I Remember You

"Yuffie?"

Yuffie looked up with a small start as Squall gently looked down at her, concerned.

The ninja looked back at the relief in her hand for a moment before shaking her head and smiling.

In the end, everything made sense.

"I'm sorry, Squall. I got lost."

Squall laughed softly.

"Lost? Where did you go?"

"Back to a memory." Yuffie answered softly as she gazed at Cerberus.

She looked up at Squall with a feverish smile and bright, glassy eyes.

"One like this one we are making right now."

Squall looked at Yuffie with a small shake of his head as the ninja coughed a little and shuddered against him. He pulled her closer and held her tightly.      

He couldn't argue with someone who made it so simple. He couldn't honestly deny the ninja her memories. Sometimes the memories were all anyone ever had. Who was he to tell her that she didn't deserve to make this a memory and cherish it.

It's what happened _before_ that got them where they _were_ and what kept them here _now_.

It was the only thing that gave any of them hope.

"Thank you, Squall. Thank you for letting me cry for him."

Squall opened his eyes and slowly leaned back as Yuffie spoke.

He looked down at the ninja when she blinked slowly. Tears glistened under her eyes and shimmered in the trails down her cheeks.

Yuffie smiled and looked at him.

The Gunblade wielder shook his head and gently brushed Yuffie's hair away from her face. He watched her close her eyes and lean into his fingers.

"You don't have to thank me, Yuffie. I didn't do anything."

Yuffie narrowly opened her eyes and shook her head. She slowly lifted her free hand and let her fingers touch the side of Squall's face. She watched carefully as the scar between Squall’s eyes creased faintly.  

She smiled sweetly and felt a warm, happy feeling course through her veins. Her hand fell from Squall's face and she slowly fell against the Gunblade wielder.

It felt like being with Vincent again.

"You gave me Vincent the way I want to remember him." the ninja breathed, hugging her partner. "You gave me what I love most in the entire Universe. I had forgotten. I had forgotten all of the things I loved about Vincent.

“I could only remember when the darkness took him from me and it made me sad. It kept my heart broken and dark. But, just a moment ago, you said something that made me think of Vincent before the Heartless came."

Squall looked down at Yuffie as she lifted her head and smiled at him again. He felt a renewed strength in the ninja.

"Thank you, Squall." the ninja breathed. "Thank you for bringing him back to me."

"You had him with you all along, Yuffie." Squall said, smiling. "But, if you needed me to remind you of that fact, then you're welcome."

Yuffie smiled as Squall held her closer and allowed her to bury her face in his chest.

She felt her body relaxing while the Gunblade wielder's breath moved evenly beneath her head. After a while, her eyes grew heavy and her fingers fell slack around the Cerberus relief in her palm. As the last bit of consciousness flooded from the ninja, she heard Squall speaking.

"Yuffie, when things are their darkest, when light seems to be farthest away, a promise made between two people who care about one another is at its strongest. No amount of separation can destroy a promise that was made in that kind of situation. You never lose the one you love most. Never."

Squall's eyes narrowed a little as Rinoa's voice echoed through his head. His own promise whispered against his ears. He slowly blinked as he looked down at Yuffie.

"Even when they aren't beside us, Yuf, they are always with us."

Squall leaned back when he heard Yuffie's soft snores. He smiled faintly and shook his head. He slowly lowered Yuffie against her pillows.

Yuffie moaned softly and muttered something in her sleep. Her fingers slowly unclenched and Cerberus slipped from her palm.

The Gunblade wielder brought the covers up around the ninja and rose to his feet. He looked down at the silver, three headed dog with calm, blue green eyes. The firelight glinted off the metal.

He stared at the relief for a moment before sighing and reaching forward. He gently placed Cerberus back in Yuffie's hand and watched the ninja pull it to her chest. After she had rolled over, Squall looked at her as if someone else were looking through his eyes. He bowed his head a bit as the wind howled outside.

"Don't make me out to be a liar, Vincent." he breathed with narrow eyes. "She needs you to be all right. After everything is said and done here she will need that."

The firelight crackled brighter for a moment as the presence Squall had felt from behind him slowly vanished and filled the entire room.

Squall smiled a little as the firelight remained constant and the wind did not sound as violent outside the window. Yuffie softly muttered in her sleep as a calming feeling filled the area surrounding her. Her eyes moved behind their closed lids as she whispered Vincent's name.

Squall smiled again and slowly turned away.

"I see, then. Can't say I have enjoyed playing your part, Vincent Valentine, but I can say that she does grow on you. . .that ninja of yours." he said as he made his way to the door.

While his hand turned the knob, he slowly turned around and looked at Yuffie asleep in her bed. He stared for a moment longer before opening the door completely.

"But, I have my own promise to keep someday. I'll take care of her until then. _That_ you can be sure of, Vincent."

The fire crackled again before Squall turned away and left the room.

As the door clicked shut behind him, a faint, red glimmer whisked its way out of the fireplace.

The fire dimmed considerably and the room darkened. Yuffie coughed violently in her sleep and Cerberus once again slipped from her fingers. The relief fell to the sheets beside her as the red glimmer slowly took form.

A series of bright, golden digits fell silently against the covers while a gloved hand reached out and touched the three headed dog. Yuffie sighed softly as the relief was pressed back into her palm and her fingers claimed it.

A soft, raspy chuckle filled the room.

"I wish. . .you. . .were here. . .Vince. . ."

Yuffie's voice was quiet and her eyes remained closed as the fire got dangerously low. Her breath was even beneath her covers. She grasped the relief in her palm and shook her head.

"I miss you."

The hand that had placed Cerberus back into the ninja's fingers slowly moved to the other side of Yuffie's body as a familiar, red cloak slowly fell over top of her.

Tears slowly continued their way down Yuffie's face as Vincent Valentine's long, black hair fell over his shoulder and his cheek gently rested against the ninja's. Yuffie's breath quickened for a moment before she smiled and relaxed beneath the gunslinger's touch.

Vincent's eyes slowly opened to reveal the same, red irises that had always been there. The gunslinger lifted his head and slowly put his lips against Yuffie's ear.

_"I'm here, Yuffie. I just needed you to realize it. Get better for me because I have almost found you. I'm almost home. I promise."_

"Vincent."

Vincent slowly pulled away and stood up straight. The gunslinger painfully closed his eyes and turned away.

A voice called out to him.

"Now I can see why she hangs around me so much. She wasn't lying when she said I reminded her of you."

Vincent stopped as Squall opened the door to Yuffie's room with a small smile. The gunslinger remained quiet when Squall stood up straight and entered the room again.

"She'll be all right."

_"Thank you for taking care of her in my absence, Squall.”_

Squall nodded. He didn't question how Vincent knew his name or why he was standing in Yuffie's room without a body of his own. What mattered to him was that Yuffie's well-being would be in complete order very soon.

"Close to home, then, are we?"

 _"I have been searching this entire Universe for nearly four years now."_ Vincent replied looking down at Yuffie. _"I was searching for her light. Every time I came close, something would extinguish it and I would get pulled back into the darkness._

_“When her light reappeared this last time and dangerously disappeared, I knew she was hurt or in trouble. I thought I had lost it completely until just a few moments ago. It returned brighter than before. It blinded me. The Heartless that have been following me were extinguished by her light."_

Vincent looked at Squall.

_"You brought it back."_

Squall shook his head and looked at Yuffie.

"She's always had it; she just needed a little reminder." he replied.

_"She is stubborn."_

"So am I. Must be why we work so well together."

Vincent looked at Squall for a moment before nodding in agreement.

 _"Perhaps her and I as well."_ he conceded.

As the gunslinger turned to walk away, Squall shook his head.

"How far out are you?"

Vincent stopped and turned his head to the side. He shook his head.

_"Not far now. Chaos has sustained me this long. I hope to collect my body from the darkness and use Chaos to follow Yuffie's light here. Now that I have found her, I don't have to keep searching."_

"They didn't get to you, did they?" Squall asked softly.

Vincent smirked.

 _"A few thousand Heartless and several Nobodies are hardly a threat to the Harbinger of Darkness."_ he said softly.

Squall smiled as Vincent looked at Yuffie and shook his head.

_"I'm coming back for her. I made a promise."_

The gunslinger looked at Squall with a firm countenance as he made his way to the fireplace.

 _"By the way, Squall."_ he said softly. _"Rinoa says to cut your hair. It looks atrocious."_

Squall was startled as Vincent slowly turned around and vanished into the red glimmer that had brought him into the room. When he had vanished, the fire instantly returned to normal and the room was filled with a familiar, warm glow.

Squall stood silently for a few moments before slowly smiling and running his hand through his long, tangled locks of hair.

"I thought I looked pretty good."

He laughed softly and checked on Yuffie a final time before slowly easing himself into the hallway and closing the door.

From her bed, the ninja smiled sweetly and held Cerberus closer to her chest.


End file.
